A health inequality examination of problem gambling, substance abuse, mental health, and poverty in the United Kingdom; A secondary analysis and stakeholder interviews

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Author(s): Turner, Nigel E. ; Trajtenberg, Nicolas ; Cook, Steve ; Sanchez de Ribera, Olga ; Shi, Jing ; Bowden-Jones, Henrietta

Publisher: Greo Evidence Insights

Year Published: 2023

Date Added: January 17, 2025

Resource Type: Research report

This research report examines the association between problem gambling and the social determinants of health in the UK. Social determinants of health include social class, education, ethnic group, age, and sex. The project consisted of a secondary analysis of the Gambling in England and Scotland, 2016: Combined Data from the Health Survey for England and the Scottish Health Survey (the researchers concatenated the data from 2012, 2014, and 2016). About 0.5% of the adults in England and Scotland met the threshold for severe problem gambling. The most common types of gambling were National Lottery tickets, scratch cards, and other lotteries. Significant social and demographic risk factors for problem gambling included being male, being younger (25 to 34), being single or never married, employed in manual and routine labour, identifying as Black or other, and having lower levels of education. Most stakeholders interviewed for the project felt that the reported frequencies of problem gambling were lower than they expected and they questioned the accuracy of the estimates.

Citation: Turner, N.E., Trajtenberg, N., Cook, S., Sanchez de Ribera, O., Shi, J., & Bowden-Jones, H. (2023). A health inequality examination of problem gambling, substance abuse, mental health, and poverty in the United Kingdom; A secondary analysis and stakeholder interviews. Report prepared for Greo Evidence Insights (Greo), Guelph, Ontario, Canada. https://doi.org/10.33684/2024.003

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33684/2024.003

Keywords: ethnicity ; gambling disorder ; inequality ; problem gambling ; Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) ; risk factors ; social determinants of health ; socioeconomic status

Topics: Cultural Factors ; Gambling Assessment ; Priority Populations ; Socioeconomic Status ; Traditions

Conceptual Framework Factors: Environment - Social and Economic Impacts ; Psychological - Comorbid Disorders ; Psychological Factors ; Social - Social Demographics ; Gambling Environment ; Social Factors ; Cultural - Ethnicity and Traditions

Geographic Coverage: United Kingdom

Related Resources:

Examining the social determinants of health and problem gambling in the UK (2012–2016)

Study Funding:

The funding for this study came from Greo through a grant for secondary data analysis using gambling harm data in Great Britain. Funding for these grants was derived from regulatory settlements in lieu of financial penalties from gambling operators in Great Britain. The Gambling Commission reviews and approves proposals for destinations of regulatory settlements. Under the terms of a settlement, there is to be no publicity or benefit for the operator in connection with the regulatory settlement.

Greo supported the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms in Great Britain as a neutral, arm’s-length organisation that managed the solicitation, review, funding, and project management of safer gambling initiatives. Greo was not involved in the ideas presented herein and imposed no constraints on publishing.